Bird picking at food after Whipple surgery and Creon

Just my thoughts. If you are having Whipple, you are already in the top 20% or so of patients who are resectable - good for you! What helped me recover well from surgery was eating a lot of protein before the surgery, and walking as much as I could after the surgery, as quickly as I could. And taking Creon after surgery as well (I skipped it for the first few days after surgery and that was a mistake. I'm currently taking 5 with meals and 3 with snacks, digestion is great now). I am now on Folfirinox, I've had a couple of rough cycles (diarrhea, low energy), but I've had some excellent cycles too, played 2 rounds of par 3 golf. Just saying all this to lift your spirits and give you a bit of optimism. It's a big thing, but you'll get through it!

Forget about the chemo you may not need it. Don’t let that bother you. Eating like a bird is perfect. Get your Whipple surgery done as soon as you can the stronger you are the better off you are going through that surgery. Good luck, Godspeed.

happyjack - Your anxiety is understandable. Perhaps another way to look at things is your good luck at being in that small percentile of folks eligible for surgery. It's the only treatment (with rare exceptions) that can potentially free you from pancreatic cancer. I thought I was good for surgery but the cancer metastasized to my liver just prior to a scheduled Whipple, so I'm now scrambling to find the best alternative(s) options. Stay happy Jack. Good luck to you.

Best wishes for a successful Whipple surgery! Mine was laparoscopic/robotic and it was two years ago. 26 chemo sessions followed and I am still not done. I am on break from all treatments till I see my experts at Hopkins. So, life goes on! Stay active, insist on PT as soon as the surgeons will let you, walk every day, and take your Creon. I now take 1 36,000 with each meal and 1 24,000 with a snack like a protein drink. My dietitian insists on high protein to help heal our cells! Eat and feel better!

What unit of Creon are you taking? I see they have 3k, 6k, 12k, 24k (what I am on and take 2 with meals), and 36k units. The 2 24k I am on now and have been for months is not doing a really good job. I still have to watch fat intake and have times I need to stay home near the bathroom. That makes 48k units I am taking with meals. I cut out my snacks and just eat 3 meals a day with the Creon or at least that is what I try to do. If I do have a snack I will try for one that is zero fat or very close to it. I did not know if there was some kind of time release med or if I would need to take 6K every 1/2 hour and eat a bit of my meal to make it last 4 hours.

I am not sure I am all that resectable. Hospital staff would not do an MRI even though I had one there before. They just did a CT scan with full die and that was over a month ago. They did not see any other cancer but that could have been missed. I have read of cases on this site where that does happen. My health is not good and I have trouble taking pain medications. My last two surgeries were not as serious as this will be and I did not take any pain meds. Just have to see. Might be a short surgery if additional cancer is found.

I take 5x25 Creons with meals, 3x25 with snacks although I do not usually eat snacks. Creon is taken directly with food, first pill with first bite, the rest while eating. There is no timed release, has to land in small intestine together with food. I am not a doctor, just telling you what has worked for me. Also my surgeon has put me on PPI as he said this is required after Whipple to avoid stomach ulcers. I wish you good luck with your surgery!

Thank you for the encouragement. The doctor said Cheno was a lock though.

I wish you the best with your fight and good thing ahead for you.

The doctor will try laparoscopic first but scar tissue from another abdominal surgery may require opening me up. My surgeon has recommended the protein shakes (I have used Boost glucose control for years). I have increased the number I drink each day and that seems to help. I will keep with the shakes as soon as I can after surgery. Seems to me that the shakes have some of the nutrients I am missing that I can absorb.

Best of luck to you with your fight.

I have been taking both of my capsules of Creon with my first bite of my meal. Guess it would be better if I just took one with the first bite then 1/2 way through took the other capsule.

I have been concerned about the complete removal of the duodenum and the direct dumping of stomach acid in the small intestine. That and the removal of part of my stomach and the valve that keeps food and acid in the stomach until it can be broken down a bit. Guess I will find out if my doctor will do the classic Whipple with removal of part of my stomach or not. I do take 40mg of omeprazole twice a day. Not sure how much more that can be increased or if there is a stronger medication that I can take.

Thank you for the information and good luck to you.